Keeper
by justanotheranimefreak
Summary: Never leave a man behind – that's the rule. I would stick to it if it killed me.
1. Chapter 1

**A.C 201, June 17.**

Wufei woke up screaming again this morning. I was already awake before he managed to fight his way out of the dream, choking off the sound for fear I'd hear him. We sleep in separate rooms, of course, but sound carries at night. I heard the gasping for air that is all the reaction he ever allows himself, as if he's afraid I'll want to help him. I do, of course; I just know that he'll see it as weakness. And the first rule of living with Wufei is to not make him feel weak.

To look at me, you would think I'm well-adjusted and confident. Pretty good work for a Gundam pilot, right? We saved the Earth and colonies twice, even though we had to drag the good citizens kicking and screaming along the road to Peace, and avoid all the nasties trying to kill us 'terrorists'. Heero had to avoid killing Miss Peacecraft a few times too – though we knew he really, REALLY wanted to - and Wufei had to kill his arch nemesis. In the morning he acts like the nightmares never happened to salvage his pride. I pretend they never happened just to take the haunted look out of his eyes.

When the alarm went off and I was finally allowed to move without letting him know I'd been awake half the night, I sat up and yawned. Then I dragged my sorry butt to the shower, stretching my neck and shoulders out on the way. I've never needed a lot of sleep, which is a good thing; Wufei keeps me awake so often with worry for him that I'd be a zombie otherwise. I don't know how _he_ manages. All I hear is his reactions, and he's one of the strongest men I know – the nightmares must be horrific. To deal with that night after night is amazing, though it probably accounts for his perpetual bad mood. Since I'm pretending not to hear them I can't say anything about it, which sucks.

I'd been in the shower for all of a minute when Wufei pounded on the door. "Hurry up, Maxwell!" Sigh. One thing I definitely hadn't considered when I moved in with him was that he'd be so bloody anal about every little thing. I guess I should have figured it out – we Gundam pilots are control freaks to the extreme – but it had just never crossed my mind. I grit my teeth and told him I'd be out in a minute or so. I could hear him grumble as he walked away and ducked my hair under the hot water with a sigh. I started to count in my head.

Exactly five minutes later I walked out of the bathroom, one towel wrapped around my waist and another on my hair. Wufei was waiting for me, leaning against the wall opposite the door with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. I kept a straight face. "Shower's free." He glared at me.

"I can see that, Maxwell. Why did you take so long?"

"The 'or so', Chang. Leeway." As I left him to figure that out I walked back to my room, shutting the door behind me quietly. I sat on the bed to dry my hair. God he was grumpy today. Guess the dream had been a bad one. As I rubbed the towel over the ends of my hair, I was thinking how nice it would be if every now and then he'd treat me as a person, instead of an annoyance. I knew he couldn't see it but I'd changed since the war. I was still outgoing around my workmates and the general public, but when I was on my own or with one of the guys I was quiet and calm. I know them now – I don't have to be manic and infuriating to hide my real self anymore. Wufei still doesn't get that.

I brushed my hair out quickly and braided it wet. I knew it would make the back of my uniform damp but I just didn't really care today, I was too tired to put in the extra effort. If Une took issue with that she could bite me; all I was going to be doing today was paperwork. It was not something I looked forward to, especially since I would be working with Trowa. Guy's great but he's quiet. Maybe I could take my laptop and headphones just to provide some background noise.

I dressed fast and was sitting at the breakfast table with a steaming coffee in front of me when Wufei walked out of his room fully dressed except for shoes. He barely looked at me, instead adjusting his tie and walking to the front door to get his boots. I stood up, drank half my coffee, tipped the other half out in the sink and rinsed the mug. I let it stand on the drainer. We had a rule: each person did their own dishes in their own time. So when his lips pursed in annoyance, I raised an eyebrow at him. He didn't say anything, just grabbed his jacket and walked out the door. I followed him, locking it behind me– as I'd expected, he hadn't waited for me and was already halfway down the stairs.

I tucked the keys into my pocket and jogged down to him, ignoring the way he pulled to the side to put maximum space between us. I didn't say anything to him and nor did he to me, so it was in total silence that we made it to our motorcycles.

Wufei has a thing for fast motorcycles. I have to admit, after hearing the stories of him running from Noin in her Aries suit on one and using it as a distraction to get away, my interest was piqued. He seems far too strait-laced to be an adrenaline junkie, but I guess we share a common core. He favours a blue Yamaha YZF-R6, while I like my black Kawasaki Ninja 650R. Racing our bikes is about the only time we get along well, though it _always_ turns into a competition.

Today I let him ride out first, pretending to fumble my helmet as I put it on. He gave me a look of disgust from behind his visor and peeled out fast, obviously in a bad mood. I adjusted my helmet again and tugged on my backpack straps, making it tight and comfortably balanced. Then I started my engine. The roar of start-up soothed my nerves, making me think it wouldn't be such a bad day after all. I turned out of the apartment parking lot and headed for work.

Predictably Wufei beat me there, his bike already parked and him leaning against the wall waiting for me. I was surprised to see him; my plan had been for me to give him some space to get over his bad temper - when I usually did this he went straight inside, none the wiser for my intervention. I parked my bike carefully, shutting down the engine and swinging off it. I took off my helmet, holding it tucked under my left arm as I walked towards him. "What's up, Chang?"

He shrugged, giving me some intense eye contact. I frowned and walked past him. "Well, come on. Wouldn't do to be late for your briefing with Yuy."

He swung round off the wall, keeping pace with me. I mentally rolled my eyes. Of course he had to be in a weird mood today. It was Wednesday. Our 'catch-up-with-the-guys' day. We'd all agreed that we should keep in touch, but work often conspired to keep us apart. Solo ops, team ops, business conferences – we did our best to not let them interfere but most times we'd be missing someone. This would be the first night in awhile for all of us to be there and I'd been looking forward to it.

I hadn't seen Heero in ages. He and Wufei are generally thrown together as a team, mostly because Wufei is the cavalry to Heero's battering ram. They work exceptionally well together and Une knows that, so they're most often the first response team to a fire with Trowa and me as backup.

Sometimes we work the other way around, with Trowa and me getting the case long before Heero and Wufei get the chance to come thundering in. Usually it's a mission that requires stealth over muscle, and I know the guys resent it. Or at least, Wufei resents it. I'm not sure about Heero, but the man probably understands that it's just a different skill set that's needed and it's okay if it's not his turn this time. Ultimate soldier mentality.

I headed inside and hit the lift, swiping my security card and pressing the button for level 4. Wufei followed me in and stood next to me without a word, though he was still looking at me. I frowned. If he was waiting for a reaction he wasn't going to get it – I had other things to concern me. Like the woman standing at the lift entrance when it stopped and the doors opened.

"Hey Sally." She nodded to me.

"Morning Duo. Good morning, Wufei."

Wufei didn't even acknowledge her, merely brushed past her and strode off down the hallway. Sally gave me a concerned look. I smiled, but not like I was happy.

"What's going on, Duo?" I shook my head.

"Beats me." I didn't tell her about the dream; it wasn't my secret to tell. And if he was in a bad mood, so what? Wufei was always angry about something or another. Sally sighed.

"Just look out for him, will you?" she asked, turning on her heel and heading in the opposite direction. I scowled. Like I wasn't already. In fact, I did so much looking out for the guy I was bound to get whiplash. With a sullen grumble I headed towards my workstation, hoping to avoid any further confrontations. I made it with a sigh of relief.

"Hey Tro'," I greeted the tall man sitting at the desk next to mine. He looked up from a scarily huge pile of paperwork and smiled slightly.

"Duo." Wow. I was glad I'd brought my music in, I had a feeling it was going to be a quiet day. I threw my backpack onto my desk and shucked my jacket off, hanging it over the back of my chair. I felt Trowa watching me but didn't react, merely turned on my computer and pulled my personal laptop out of my bag. I had only just placed it on the desk when I felt a presence behind me.

"Isn't that against regulations?" Mocking. I spun on my chair to face Heero.

"Yeah, so what?" I retorted, feeling my face break into a huge grin which Heero did not return. He's finally learned to use a little humour and his deadpan face is incredible. I scooted my chair back a little and gestured at Trowa. "I mean, look at that guy. I'll go insane if I have to spend the whole day not talking!"

"Maxwell, you _are_ insane," Heero said, and I saw his mouth twitch in that tiny goddamn smirk he wears when he's teasing you. I heard Trowa chuckle quietly to himself, not arguing the point – he knew I was right. I turned around to face my desk again and stubbornly booted up the laptop.

"So where's Chang?" Heero asked, looking over my shoulder while I browsed through files, though never getting too close. I shrugged.

"I thought he was meeting you for that briefing." I felt more than saw Heero stiffen behind me, and looked at him over my shoulder. "What?"

"I haven't seen him so far." Flat, totally emotionless. Crap. Not good. Where had Wufei gone now? I heaved a huge sigh. Now I had to go and find him, because I was his roommate and his friend. Didn't that just suck.

"I'll go," Trowa offered suddenly, standing up. I always forget how goddamn tall he is, and I hate to say I'm jealous but there it is. He looked at me calmly, his eyes serene. I never know how he manages that, either; we've all seen the same stuff but he's the only one who looks so calm about it. As if he doesn't get the nightmares. If that's true, then I wonder how the hell he managed it.

I shook my head and pushed myself to my feet. "Nah, I came in with him. He's fine, I'll find him." Better that they didn't know at this juncture about his nightmares. There might be a recommendation for him to attend counselling again, and that wasn't a good idea. The last time hadn't been all that successful. I'd done the counselling myself and had to admit that it hadn't really done me any good either – the questions were all based around making yourself vulnerable and none of us ex-pilots could do that very well. Needless to say, Une needed us on board and pulled some strings, but we had to be on our best behaviour at work.

I walked out of our area, heading down the hallway. I thought hard. If I was Wufei, and I was depressed and tired, where would I go? The answer struck me as I got to the lift: the gym. I pressed the button for the first floor and waited for the lift to make its slow descent.

Wufei doesn't like to feel weak or miserable. He's not good at dealing with it. He practices fighting whenever he's feeling down because of the adrenaline spike, and I had a feeling that he was probably taking his anger at himself out on some unfortunate recruits. Hurrah for hierarchy – they wouldn't be able to complain, which was all to the good.

I strode into the gym in time to hear a cracking sound accompanied by a yelp, and sighed. Bingo. I approached the section expressly closed off for martial arts training and watched for a moment. Wufei was dressed in just a pair of loose pants, his torso bare. He was covered in a light sheen of sweat, his face intense. His body was coiled like a spring. I grimaced. The recruit who had just danced back out of reach was about to get it real bad – he didn't know _how_ bad. As he smirked and scuttled forward, hands raised for a head blow, Wufei ducked in and slammed him in the solar plexus with an uppercut. The recruit's breath left him explosively and he choked, staggering back and clutching his chest. I shook my head.

"Give it a rest, Chang," I called out, and he flicked his eyes to me rebelliously. I gave him a look. He scowled but came up out of his stance, walking to his gear. The recruit had sunk to his knees and was still wearing a pained expression, but I ignored him – it was his own fault for sparring with Wufei. Une made it clear to all newcomers that we were to be avoided, so any attempt on their behalf to complain about us would go unregarded. I guessed that when Wufei had walked in to practice he'd been challenged, and given his current state of mind it wouldn't have occurred to him to say no. I'd have bet big that he'd jumped at the chance.

"What do you want, Maxwell?" Wufei growled, wiping his face with his towel. I watched him through level eyes.

"Yuy's wondering where the hell you are." Wufei grunted and turned away, picking up his shirt. He started to walk towards the showers.

"Tell him I'll be a minute _or so_." I rolled my eyes at that but turned on my heel and walked out of the gym, heading back to the lift. I was secretly relieved that he seemed to have gotten whatever was bugging him out of his system – I'd fully been expecting to have to fight him myself. It had happened before. Call me vain, but I didn't fancy having bruises all over me today.

I made it to my workstation with no other interruptions. Heero was sitting on my chair, back straight and arms folded. Trowa was steadily working through the papers on his desk. The silence was broken only by the frequent rustling of paper. Whoa. This place was quieter than a morgue. Both of them looked at me as I walked in.

"So?" Heero asked, face blank as always.

"It's okay, he's on his way." Heero got off my chair and stepped away from my desk, giving me a considering frown. I sighed. "What?"

"He's getting worse," Trowa said quietly, eyes on his paperwork. I glared at him.

"What do you mean?" I wanted to snap at him but I knew he was right, which meant I didn't have a leg to stand on. He fixed me with a cool green gaze.

"You know exactly what I mean, Duo," he admonished, making me sigh. Yes, I did know, but I didn't have the slightest clue what to do about it. I was out of my depth. They took my silence as assent.

"I need him on this one, Maxwell. Make sure he gets there." Heero nodded at me and walked out, leaving me standing there with a rather deep scowl on my face. Why the hell was I always the one who had to solve this? They were supposed to be his friends too. Trowa started flicking through his paperwork again, riffling through one stack and then putting it aside before picking up the next. I threw myself into my seat with an exasperated sigh and put on my headphones. Whatever.

About ten minutes later something hit me on the back of the head, startling me. I pulled my headphones off and spun around, angry. Wufei was standing there, his bike jacket on and helmet dangling from his right hand. I looked down. A spare backpack was at my feet; ah, so that was what he'd thrown at me. I glared at him.

"What the hell is your problem?" I asked, scooping up the bag and lobbing it back at him. He caught it, face impassive, and slung it over one shoulder.

"Coming?"

"Where?" I saw Trowa look up out of the corner of my eye, watching the conversation. I fought to keep the irritation off my face but I think I failed. Wufei didn't reply, merely walked out and headed for the lift. I groaned.

"Go, Duo," Trowa said quietly, his face careful. I shook my head.

"No man, we'll get behind-" He interrupted me.

"This is more important. Go. I'll deal with it." Firm and unyielding. I shrugged.

"Have it your way then," I grumbled, closing my laptop and stuffing it into my backpack again. I pulled my jacket on and picked up my helmet, jogging for the lift. Why did this stuff always happen at the worst possible time?

Wufei was actually in the lift, holding the doors open for me. I spilled inside, zipping my jacket up. "What is this about, Chang?" I was angry and I didn't try to hide it. He didn't look at me. He's a master at pretending someone doesn't exist and it never fails to piss me off. I refused to bite though, just squared my shoulders and ignored him back. I saw a faint frown cross his face – apparently he hadn't expected that.

"We need to go," was all he said. Hurrah for being vague. I closed my eyes and waited for the lift to open. I'd had more than enough of his bad mood today, and if he didn't want to go on his mission with Heero it wasn't my problem. Trowa would more than likely have to fill in for him if he chose not to go, and he'd be reassigned to a desk while they re-evaluated his suitability for field missions. Again, not my problem. I still couldn't work out this mood swing though.

The lift stopped and he got out quickly, pulling his helmet on. I copied him, but was surprised when he was slow to get on his bike. I was on mine with the engine started before he even approached his.

I stared at him through my visor, an eyebrow raised. He met my gaze, still intense, but flinching a little around the eyes. I noted with some discomfort that he looked upset, something that up till now I hadn't been sure he was capable of. Since I didn't have the rest of his face to distract me I could clearly read the emotions in his eyes. Crap. He was actually hurting.

I finally looked away from that sadness. I wasn't sure I could deal with this. Maybe I should have told Sally after all, let it be her problem. Then I mentally kicked myself. No, I couldn't do that. He was my ally, my roommate, and most importantly, my friend. Never leave a man behind – that's the rule. I would stick to it if it killed me.


	2. Chapter 2

**A.C. 201, June 18.**

I never made it back to work. Wufei was obviously having some personal difficulties, so I called both of us in sick for the rest of the day while I was stopped at a set of traffic lights. Heero sounded disappointed over the phone, but I thought I sensed a faint undertone of relief. He'd been worried, I could tell, and the relief was probably to do with being able to tell Une legitimately that Trowa would be his partner for part of this mission. Of course, the real kicker came when I told Wufei what I'd done.

I'd pulled back a few steps as we walked through the apartment parking lot to give him the news, and I was glad I'd done it – he turned around so fast and so aggressively that he probably would have seriously injured me if I'd been within reach. I kept my gaze level and calm, staring him down. He took a menacing step toward me but I refused to back away. It had been my call to make the minute he'd pulled me out of work for whatever this was.

"Damn you Maxwell, why the hell did you do that?" He was furious. If looks could kill, I'd have been toast. I shrugged.

"Saves Yuy waiting on you. He says he'll take Barton instead." Maybe if I stuck to the truth we'd get through this okay. Secretly though, I doubted it. There is nothing quite like Wufei when he's upset; it can take awhile to get used to. Not only is he incredibly dangerous physically, but he develops quite a sharp, intuitive sense of the other person's weaknesses and uses it ruthlessly to cut them to the core. I refused to give him that opening this time, merely waited for him to decide which direction this confrontation would take. Either he'd attack me outright or he'd bide his time and wait to get me back. Neither sounded particularly appealing.

Finally he took a deep breath and turned away, stalking towards the front door. I followed him slowly, aware that he could still change his mind and belt the hell out of me. I wasn't too thrilled about letting him get inside first though – if he wanted to, he could kill me when I walked in. Still, it beat giving him my back while I opened the door myself. If I was going to die I'd rather see it coming.

Onyx eyes flashed a warning at me as he wrestled the door open, walking through and slamming it behind him. I heard the deadbolt slide home. Of course. He didn't want me in there with him because it might mean I'd see him while he was weak. I reflected that it was probably a bad thing that he still didn't trust me enough to back him up on something like this – it didn't really bode well for our continued co-habitation.

Rather than force the issue, I sat down and leaned against the wall with my hands tucked into my jacket pockets and my backpack on the floor next to me. I tilted my head back with a sigh, closing my eyes. I didn't know how to deal with this; I still wasn't really sure what the problem was, so how was I supposed to fix it? He obviously didn't want my help, and this sulk, fit, or whatever was starting to get really old.

About an hour later I heard the door unlock. I grabbed my backpack and clambered to my feet with a soft groan – crap, I wasn't used to sitting still for so long – and reached for the door handle. I pushed the door open carefully, walking cautiously inside; I didn't want to be ambushed and I wasn't sure what mindset Wufei was in yet. With that in mind I shut the door quietly and looked around the apartment.

Wufei hadn't turned the lights on, so the only light in the room was the muted glow from behind the blinds. I put my backpack gently on the table and stood still for a moment, listening. I didn't know where Wufei was, but if I had to guess I'd say either his room or the bathroom. I shrugged off my jacket and hung it up, wanting more freedom of movement for my arms if Wufei attacked me. Not that I was assuming he would, but I wanted to be prepared.

"Maxwell."

I whirled, stepping back instinctively into a defensive stance with my hands up in front of my face. Wufei stood next to the couch, wearing a rather unhappy smirk. I lowered my hands after a moment, watching him carefully. He didn't react to my movements, just continued to stand there and look miserable. I sighed and sat down at the table, giving him some space while making it clear I was here for him. He perched on the arm of the couch a second later.

"Talk, Chang." Okay, I'll admit, it probably wasn't the best way to start the conversation, but I was all out of tact. He gave a low grunt that might have been a suppressed sob or a chuckle; either seemed likely at this point. I was through playing guessing games with him, I just wanted to know what was going on.

The silence stretched for several long minutes while we watched each other from opposite sides of the room. I could see thoughts flitting across his face, each obviously darker than the last. Judging by his sour expression he was trying to figure out what to say. I didn't interrupt.

"I need to take a leave of absence," he said finally, his tone bitter. I studied him carefully, and to my surprise saw a faint flush take over his cheeks. He was obviously pretty angry with himself over this. I didn't comment, merely waited for him to explain further. He scowled, looking away from me. Maybe my reaction hadn't been what he wanted.

"And…?" I prompted when it became apparent that he wasn't going to say anything further. I kept my voice low and calm, trying to be what he needed. He shrugged. Oh, great. This conversation was like pulling teeth. I suddenly and inexplicably wanted to throttle him. Why did he have to be so frustrating?

"_And_ I'll be going back into space for awhile."

"Say what?" I'm afraid that my puzzlement must have shown because he suddenly laughed, a harsh bark of sound that almost made me cringe. God, what was wrong with him?

"Space, Maxwell. I have been invited to attend the commemoration of my colony's destruction as the last member of the Chang clan."

The penny dropped for me, and I suddenly understood why he'd been so torn up lately. The frequency of the nightmares, his continually souring temper, his lack of commitment to his missions – all of that was just a front for the pain eating away at him about his clan. He watched the thoughts run through my eyes impassively, almost like he'd passed his pain completely on to me. I felt myself frown as I thought things through.

"Fine, I'll call Yuy and arrange things. I'm sure I can get Barton to cover us long enough – "

"Us?" Wufei interrupted me incredulously. I glared at him.

"Yes Chang, _us_. You're not going alone and that's final."

"You don't get to decide that," he snapped, eyes hard. I chuckled mirthlessly.

"You made it my decision the second you pulled me out of work." Harsh, but accurate. Wufei made a non-committal sound, averting his eyes. I noticed that he wasn't fighting all that hard against it, and mentally rolled my eyes. He couldn't have just come out and said he wanted me along – it would have made him feel dependant – and so the fight was just a way for him to seem like he was resisting even though he really wasn't. Talk about backwards logic.

With a disgusted sigh Wufei slid off the couch and strode down the hallway, disappearing into his room. I knew he was going to ground so he could nurse his hurt pride, but I didn't call him on it. I had another fight ahead of me that I wasn't really looking forward to.

* * *

"Yuy – Yuy, stop. I'm_ sorry_. No, I am. Urgh, could you shut up and listen to me for a sec? Seriously! …okay, can I talk now? He needs me – well, us, really, but I'm the only one he'll take with him – and we have to leave ASAP. No, I can't give you any more info. …Because I don't know myself, that's why! Damn. Okay, I'll see you tonight."

I hung up the phone in a very bad mood. Heero had not been pleased with my admission that I was going into space with Wufei, not least of all because now he had to _completely_ re-write his mission brief to suit Trowa's abilities instead of Wufei's, and the resulting explosion had almost deafened me.

I rubbed my temples, trying to ease the headache that had formed somewhere around the time Heero had started to yell. I knew that this wasn't the best situation – Trowa didn't really suit Heero's mission style, and both of them knew it – but surely they could manage this once? I'd rather Heero had to make do with Trowa for one mission than take a distracted and angry Wufei into a firefight; there wouldn't be any guarantee of either of them coming back alive if he did.

Unexpectedly the phone rang, making me jump half out of my skin. I answered it curtly.

"What?" Then I paused. "Oh, sorry Quat'. How ya doing?" He chuckled softly, not taking offence.

"I had a feeling you needed to talk," he replied. I winced. Of course he knew; it was his thing, his 'space heart'. It works on overdrive for people he cares about, so he'd have felt it the minute I started to get stressed. I wondered why it hadn't told him Wufei was hurting, but even Heero had managed to pick that up – it was probably obvious to everyone, including Quatre. But why hadn't he tried to help? Odd.

"Just got some stuff going on, man, nothing to worry about." I couldn't lie to Quatre because he'd know instantly, but I could be vague. I could almost _hear_ him smile over the phone.

"It's to do with Wufei, isn't it?"

Oh, crap. "Uh, sort of," I hedged, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't give everything away. Quatre made a sympathetic sound.

"It's okay Duo, you don't have to tell me the details. I'm just letting you know that I'm here for you if you need me." Then he hung up. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, fighting the urge to hurl the phone across the room. It was an incredibly immature response, and I owed it to myself to be an adult about this whole thing. So what if Quatre could read my mind? He was my friend, and he was looking out for me. I didn't have to get mad just because he knew things I didn't want him to.

I slumped over the table, resting my head on my arms. Well, this sucked. I now had to figure out a way to calm Wufei down and convince him to come to our dinner tonight, as well as come up with answers to the questions the guys were bound to have. I groaned quietly. Well, I hoped the food was good at least – I had a feeling the rest of the night wouldn't be so fun.

* * *

Several hours later I was knocking on Wufei's door. "Come on, Chang, it's time to go!" I called exasperatedly, running my hands over my hair to make sure it was fairly tidy. I was dressed pretty casually in a pair of jeans and a black short-sleeved button down shirt, with my trusty boots on. I hadn't yet received a reply and I was starting to get really irritated – we were going to be late if he kept this up.

"Chang –" I started, about to hit the door again, but to my surprise it opened. Wufei stood there in an almost identical outfit, except his shirt was red. He glared at me, but I turned on the spot and walked towards the front door. I spoke to him over my shoulder.

"Who's driving?" Normally we had a system for these nights, where one of us drank and the other one drove. Quatre would have gladly given us a lift home but we didn't want to take him up on it – we didn't need the fact that he was rich rubbed in our faces all the time. Not that he did it on purpose, mind you, it just sort of happened. I didn't really know how Trowa put up with it all the time, but he lived with the guy; I guess he'd adjusted.

"You." I fought the urge to sigh in relief, grateful for his decision. I didn't want to be on the back of his bike if he decided life just wasn't worth living anymore and took measures.

"Okay," I replied, putting on my jacket. He followed suit sullenly, face set in dark lines. I ignored him. Once he had a drink or two and some food, he'd be right. I hoped so, anyway.

After we'd walked out of the apartment and locked the door I jogged down to the parking lot, swinging onto my bike and starting the engine. I settled my helmet as Wufei climbed on behind me, a slight gap between us so that neither of us felt uncomfortable.

"Ready?" I asked, turning my head to the side so I could see him better. His helmet was already on, so I couldn't read his expression, but he nodded once sharply and then rested his hands very lightly just above my hips for balance. I revved the engine and peeled out of the parking lot, heading for Pete's Pub. It was our regular hangout, and it had good food, drinks and great atmosphere. Busy, but not overly so as to freak out a bunch of jumpy ex-terrorists.

Wufei grabbed hold of me as we took a corner a little more sharply than I'd intended, thanks to a large truck cutting me off. I had to swing in to the lane next to it, narrowly missing a flashy red sports car. Thankfully I had good enough reflexes to avoid getting us squished, but I still wasn't happy. Judging from the hard grip Wufei had around my torso, neither was he. I shrugged by way of apology, knowing he could feel it, and he loosened up a little when it became apparent that I wasn't going to kill us any time soon. He didn't let go of me though – probably he still didn't trust me. I fought the urge to sigh and concentrated on getting us there safely.

As we parked outside the pub Wufei drew back a little, putting distance between us again. He swung off the bike as soon as we stopped moving, taking off his helmet and stepping several feet away from me. He didn't walk off and leave me though, which was interesting, but it was probably only because he didn't want to face the guys on his own. Whatever, it didn't matter to me. I just wanted to hurry up and get inside.

The first thing I was aware of as we walked in was noise. It washed over us, jarring and soothing by turns. Up on the little stage towards the back, a man was playing his guitar and singing in a husky voice. Tables were crowded into the right hand side of the big room, full of families and friends sharing a meal. The bar was crowded with men and women in their early twenties to late sixties, cheerfully enjoying a drink together. The place was full of laughter and warmth. I felt myself smile, which took me rather by surprise given the circumstances, but as I caught sight of Trowa at the bar I suddenly didn't care anymore. He raised his glass, giving me a gentle smile in return. Quatre and Heero both looked at us a moment later. I made my way through the mass of chairs and tables to them.

"Hey guys!" I couldn't help but grin widely as Heero pulled up two additional stools, placing one on either side of him. I didn't doubt Wufei's choice at all and clambered onto the one closer to Trowa and Quatre, letting Wufei sit to the outside. He didn't return the guys' smiles but nodded curtly and then busied himself getting a drink from the bartender. I ignored him.

"It's great to see you, Duo!" Quatre said excitedly, gripping my forearm tightly in his version of a handshake. I laughed at him.

"You too, Quat', what's been happening? Your sisters finally let you out of the office?" Quatre raised an eyebrow at me.

"Yes, not that it's ANY of your business," he retorted, making Trowa chuckle. Ah, so that was the real story: Trowa had forced them to let Quatre have a break. Good on him – Quatre's sisters were scary and numerous. I figured Trowa had to have an iron will to want to be a part of that particular family; it certainly wasn't something I would have wanted to take on. I winked at him around Quatre and he smirked.

"How long is your break?" Heero interjected suddenly, a glass of scotch in his hand. Knowing him as I did, I figured it was probably single malt, and that he'd probably limit himself to just the one drink for the night. I glanced at Quatre as we waited for his answer, and realised that he was drinking vodka. A surreptitious peek at Trowa showed me he was drinking gin. Hm. Apparently some things never changed.

"A week." Quatre looked down for an instant, then glanced back up with a sunny grin. "But I'm sure it'll be a good week!"

I realised I didn't have a drink to toast him with, but as I went to signal the bartender Wufei pushed a glass up the bar to me. He'd apparently ordered me a Coke, which was uncharacteristic of him. I took it with a slight frown and a mumbled thanks, then held up my glass to Quatre.

"Here's to a great week off," I proclaimed, which he seconded by clinking his glass against mine. We drank, but I found my eyes going back to Wufei, huddled into his jacket and presumably ignoring all of us while he sipped his drink. Heero caught my eye and nodded, shifting around on his stool so he could speak quietly to his partner while letting me engage Trowa and Quatre.

"Maybe we should order?" Good old Trowa. I nodded to him and slid off my stool, searching for an empty table. Quatre followed me immediately, with Trowa trailing after. Heero and Wufei stayed at the bar, heads close together. I figured the conversation was probably a bit intense and resolved to keep out of it. But how to make sure Quatre didn't interfere? I had no idea.

Trowa placed a menu into Quatre's free hand, leaning over him to read it too. If Quatre suspected he was being distracted, he didn't let on, for which I was grateful. As he debated over the menu with Trowa, I watched my other friends. Eventually they got up and wandered over to us, Heero on my left and Wufei on my right. Neither looked at the other much, but I sensed they'd sort of repaired things between them. That was a good start, but as I watched Wufei I wondered whether or not he felt like he was letting Heero down. If he did, then this would be a whole different ball game, and one I didn't want to play. Was it too late to call for a time-out? I wonder who referees this kind of stuff.


	3. Chapter 3

**A.C.201, June 21.**

After the dinner on Wednesday night, Wufei and I headed home. Rather than keep his distance, he leaned against my back and held on tight. I was more than a bit puzzled by that but I figured he'd probably had a bit much to drink and let it go, though I'm sure he felt the tension running through me. It was completely involuntary on my part so I drove carefully, not wanting to spook him again; we didn't need a repeat of earlier.

The trip seemed to take forever, but I figured that was probably because Wufei was being so weird. I couldn't figure out why he was suddenly being so dependent given our disagreement earlier, and though I tried I had trouble reconciling the Wufei I knew with the one currently wrapped half around me. I was relieved when we made it home and he could let go, but even then he was slow to loosen his grip. I covered my confusion by taking off my helmet, using the movement to encourage him to let go faster, but either he didn't get the hint or he didn't care – it took him several seconds to stop touching me. It felt like an eternity.

Within moments of him getting off the bike I felt my heart rate slow and the tension ease out of me, making my eyes close for a moment. Wow. I hadn't realised I was so panicked, but I guess it made sense: Wufei is renowned for his huge personal space issues and I'm not exactly the cuddliest person myself. In fact, I think I was more worried about him trying to kill me than anything else, which says things about our friendship. Probably bad things.

"You coming?"

I opened my eyes at Wufei's gruff question, not sure what expression I was wearing. His face was closed off, guarded, but his eyes were vulnerable and betrayed an anxiety I didn't understand. I swung off the bike and nodded his way. I had a strange feeling in the pit of my chest, a heaviness almost, that was making it hard to focus. I wasn't sure that was good given the situation.

"Let's get inside," he continued, his voice low. I walked past him and headed for the stairs, not looking at him. Well, I was glad he was talking, but it felt like he'd stolen my voice. I didn't have any words. I mean, come on. This is _me_. Duo Maxwell, court jester. Always has a joke for any situation. But for some reason I just couldn't speak.

He followed me up and opened the door when it became apparent my head was elsewhere, pushing me inside gently. I frankly stared at him. Okay, that wasn't normal. He gave me a small smile and I'm afraid my head just about exploded. What the hell?

"Thank you."

Uh, I'd like to suspend reality for a second. Please God, give me a minute to digest what he just said to me, because I swear it didn't really happen. No way. Wufei does not thank me for stuff. EVER. But somehow I heard those words come out of his mouth. Maybe it was a dream? I'm sure I looked as startled as I felt, because he laughed and shrugged out of his jacket. I sat down at the table heavily.

"Who _are_ you?" I asked stupidly. He sat down opposite me, face stern once more. His dark eyes fixed on me and I fought the urge to run away – onyx pierced my soul and laid me completely bare, my every emotion exposed. I averted my gaze, not wanting him to see what I was thinking. He started to speak, quietly and hesitantly at first.

"Yuy discussed the mission changes with me this evening," he murmured, making me look back at him quickly. Of course, the mission. Why had I thought he wanted to talk about something else?

"Une has some changes she would like implement across both our teams. Barton is to be Yuy's permanent partner and I am to be yours, effective immediately."

"What?" Suddenly all traces of embarrassment were gone and I was sitting up straight, staring at him in disbelief. He nodded. I shook my head in confusion. I couldn't make it add up.

"But – but our mission styles are completely diff – I mean, we don't suit each other, what the hell is she thinking?" I blurted without thinking about it, and nearly missed seeing him flinch. I looked at him more carefully and realised his careful face was masking rejection at my assessment. I sighed gustily.

"Look, Chang, it's nothing against you. You're an excellent agent and the whole of the Preventers knows it. I just don't know if I can keep up." There; honest. I gave him a small smile to let him know there was no implied insult, and he returned it reluctantly. Once it was clear I didn't intend to say anything further, he continued.

"I have an additional reason for wishing to attend this commemoration," he started slowly, staring at his hands clasped on the table. I was worried now; Wufei wasn't one to fidget or to shy away from a fight. What on earth was wrong?

"There has been a suggestion made that as the final member of my clan and the last of the nobility, I should marry into one of the smaller clans and inherit some of its people as my own." He looked at me warily, obviously uncertain as to how I would take this information. I'm afraid my jaw dropped open a little bit, making me appear slightly foolish. More so than usual, anyway.

"Um...in plain English, please?"

"I'm getting married." Nope, still didn't make any more sense the second time around. Man, this was just not my night.

"To who?" His expression soured.

"A girl named Xiao De Hong," he replied, his jaw twitching. Using my keen powers of deduction, I sensed that he was not at all happy about this development and rather wished she didn't exist. In my head I acknowledged that if it wasn't this particular girl it would be someone else socially acceptable, but didn't say it out loud. Most likely he knew that already.

"Have you met her?" I asked quietly, watching him carefully. He frowned.

"No, I haven't. I have met her father and I have seen a picture of her, but I have not had that honour as yet." He bit the words out, making them harsh and unforgiving towards her. I wondered idly whether or not he would end up loving her someday, but given his reaction I rather thought not.

"So is that part of our trip?" He nodded sharply. I forced a smile. "Well then, we'd better sleep and start packing in the morning. Wouldn't want to miss your engagement party, after all." I pushed myself to my feet and walked away quickly, feeling something rather similar to tears prick at my eyes. How odd. I felt his gaze follow me as I disappeared into my bedroom, suddenly anxious to be away from him.

* * *

Despite my best intentions overnight to sleep and ease the tightness in my chest, I couldn't. For some reason I couldn't make my eyes stop leaking, and I spent half the night trying to breathe through a ridiculously clogged nose. Needless to say, I looked like hell the next morning, and Wufei was quick to inform me of the fact when I met him in the hallway.

"You look like shit, Maxwell."

"Thanks," I mumbled through an incredibly sore throat, staring at him out of puffy eyes. He grinned.

"You're not going to come with me looking like that, are you?" I flipped him the bird and stumbled into the bathroom to splash some water on my face, trying to ignore the sound of his laughter following me. I stared at my sorry reflection in the mirror.

"Well, you're not going to win any beauty contests today, loser," I told myself, looking at my red nose and the bruises under my eyes. Man, I looked like I'd been beaten up or something. Emotionally, I suppose I had. Good times.

After a couple of rinses my face was at least clean again, if somewhat pale and bruised. The puffiness would go away soon, I expected, so I didn't have any reason not to go out there and face him. The inner me just wanted to go and hide in my room again, preferably under the sheets so I could block out the sun and the fearful realisation I'd had about myself at around 3 am. I still wasn't admitting the truth though so I shoved my feelings deep down inside and steeled myself to exit the bathroom.

I could hear Wufei moving around in his room, opening and shutting his closet and dumping stuff on the floor. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief and fairly ran to the kitchen, though I forced myself to step lightly so he wouldn't be able to track my movements. Once there I told myself off for being an idiot and set the kettle boiling, suddenly desperate for caffeine. I leaned against the bench while the kettle hissed, trying to get myself under control. Call me an idiot, but I really didn't want to go off into space with him to watch him get married. It wasn't in my job description.

After I'd made my first cup of coffee I drank it fast, taking small sips so I didn't burn my mouth. I was just putting the mug down to make another when Wufei came out of his room, his arms filled with clothes. At the sight of the traditional garments my stomach flipflopped, making me feel ill. I grimaced. He noticed and glared at me.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," I muttered, avoiding his gaze. I walked past him, snatching up my jacket, helmet and keys. "I just realised I don't have anything to wear to your engagement party, so I'm heading out to find something." As far as excuses went I suppose it was acceptable, but he gave me a funny look. I didn't much care at that point; I just needed to be away from him and the constant reminders of his unavailability.

As I climbed onto my bike I acknowledged that I was running away, perhaps for the first time since the war. I snorted at myself. Well, wasn't this great. I've fought in two wars, done countless missions for the Preventers, and the thing that scares me the most isn't the possibility of dying but the realisation of the feelings I have for my soon-to-be-married roommate. I am an idiot.

Making the engine snarl I zoomed out of the parking lot, headed for the one place I knew I'd be safe.

* * *

"Hey, Tro', is Quat' around?" I asked when my green-eyed friend answered the door. I knew it looked weird: I was standing on his doorstep, pale and sick-looking, wrapped in a massive biker jacket and shivering slightly. At nine in the morning. I hadn't realised it when I left the apartment but I'd mistakenly grabbed Wufei's jacket instead of my own; I guess that accounted for the strange glance he'd given me.

He nodded and waved me inside, eyes neutral but careful. As I stepped into his house I noticed that he wasn't wearing a shirt or shoes, and that the jeans that encased his long legs were unbuttoned. I flushed. Oh.

"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt," I said, trying to slip back out of the door, but he grabbed me and sat me down on the couch.

"You didn't," he told me in that low, soft voice of his that seems to calm anyone he talks to. I wasn't sure I believed him but he continued, "Quatre is in the shower. He'll be finished soon."

I sighed and leaned back, crossing my arms over my chest. His eyes never left my face and I returned his look, though where his eyes were calm and understanding, I'm sure mine were vulnerable and scared. He didn't pressure me and we sat in silence. It's one of the best things about Trowa, his strong dependability. He doesn't jump to conclusions, doesn't push, doesn't get angry – he just lets you be and gives you space to process what's inside your head.

A short time later Quatre came into the sitting room, giving Trowa a gentle smile and patting his hand as he passed. Trowa nodded and, getting up, walked straight out of the room. I focused my gaze on Quatre instead, sure that he was going to be wearing his damned angelic smile, but to my surprise he wasn't smiling, just calm.

"So…" I mumbled, ducking my head.

"What's going on, Duo?" Well, ouch. He wasn't going to make this easy, but I suppose that was a good thing. It would make me rip off the bandaid, become acquainted with my pain that much faster. And hopefully I would be able to move on sooner too.

"Cha – um, Wufei, is…he's getting married."

"And?"

I winced. "And that's not good."

"Why?"

"Because it's not, that's why!" I felt myself growing angry and tried to keep myself in check. Quatre knew exactly why I was upset, I knew that, and he was playing games with me. He felt my frustration and smiled.

"He's allowed to get married, Duo," he told me firmly, fixing me with a clear blue gaze. I frowned.

"Yeah, but – but he doesn't even know this chick! It's a freaking arranged marriage!" I was nearly yelling.

"That's how the Chinese nobility works, Duo, a good match is generally chosen for the girl. She usually isn't given a choice unless she wants to offend her parents –"

"Exactly! And he's playing along with that? I mean, what the hell! He's usually all honour and respect and…well, he just shouldn't be doing this!" Now I _was_ yelling, though tears joined the anger this time. I was on my feet and didn't remember getting there. Quatre looked at me calmly.

"It's _his_ life. He's not bad looking and I'm sure he'd be a good husband - there really isn't any reason why the girl would object. He's young, too, which is certainly better than the other men she might be married to." Hearing Quatre's assessment made the anger fade, though the tears spilled down my cheeks. I wiped them away with a shaking hand and sat down again, burying my face in my hands.

He patted my shoulder. "Duo, loving someone who can't be yours is painful, but I know you can get through this." The shock of hearing him say out loud what I'd been trying to deny made me shudder.

"I didn't know," I mumbled into my hands. "I didn't know until last night." He sighed.

"I know, Duo. But he needs you right now, so you have to go home. He's counting on you."

_

* * *

_

He's counting on you.

Those words rang in my ears on the way home, and I repeated them to myself over and over as I walked up the stairs. My hands shook as I reached for the door handle, making me scowl. I had to do better than this, damn it, or he'd know something was up.

To my amazement the door swung inwards and I was suddenly face to face with the man, blinking at him like a deer in the headlights. He grunted and moved to one side to let me in. I walked past him carefully, controlling my movements so that he would only pick up that I was tense and hopefully not the reason for it.

"Did you find anything?" he asked abruptly, eyes tracking me as I moved. I stopped.

"What?"

"An outfit. For the engagement party." Oh, shit.

"No," I replied, not giving him any more than that. He shrugged and closed the door, and I took his jacket off and handed it to him. He didn't say a word about it.

I headed into my room and shut the door quietly before opening my cupboard, eyes casting over the clothes hanging there without really seeing them. How was I going to get out of this one? I didn't think a 'get-out-of-jail-free' card would do it.


	4. Chapter 4

**A.C. 201, June 22.**

A couple of crazy – and I do mean CRAZY – days later and we were out in space, heading for the newly constructed L5 colony. It wasn't built in exactly the same place as the previous one out of respect for the dead and the amount of debris left over from the explosion, but Wufei still got more and more solemn as we approached. I stayed in my seat while we were on the shuttle, not wanting to get in his personal space, but the colder his face got the more I wanted to help him. It was a pity I didn't have the slightest idea how.

Much of our time had been taken up with booking shuttle flights and arranging accommodation. Wufei had been assured that his future wife's clan would put us up for a few nights, but I shot him down; I wasn't sure my nerves could handle living in close proximity with the happy couple. That meant that instead of staying in relative comfort we were going to spending a couple of nights in a seedy motel, but that was fine by me if it meant I didn't have to meet his future in-laws. I know, I know. I'm mental.

Packing was easy – almost everything I owned was black so it was a simple matter just to throw things in my suitcase without looking at them too closely. Which was good, seeing as how I wasn't really focused on the clothes. Heero would probably have been horrified at how messy my suitcase was, given that I was a soldier, but if he knew the whole story I'd probably get a pass. Then again, maybe not - he doesn't ease up on anyone regardless of their emotional turmoil. He can put his emotions aside and focus on the task at hand; sometimes I can too. This was so not one of those times.

Wufei harried me relentlessly, always a step ahead and pushing me further down the path I was trying to avoid. Every time I turned around he was there, demanding flight details or questioning why I wasn't packed yet. My excuses were getting feebler but I don't think he was actually paying attention to me; he had too much else going on to try and figure out why his roommate was upset. I'm not going to try and pretend it didn't hurt, but as the endless hours ticked by I grew better at hiding it.

Forty-eight hours later we were finally ready to go. I'd managed probably about five hours of sleep the entire time so I was feeling a bit drained, and I'm not sure Wufei had gotten much more – he was so stressed about everything he'd kind of retreated into the planning details to distract himself and didn't seem to notice the passage of time. If I hadn't been so run down I'd have teased him about it, but I just wasn't in the mood. Sad, huh.

Heero accompanied us to the shuttle port. I was grateful that he was wasting his day off on us but I knew it was only because he likely had nothing better to do, seeing as how Quatre was visiting Trowa and was keeping him pretty busy. Heero doesn't cope well when plans change on him, so he was clinging to us to keep himself stable and afloat. It was a pity we were leaving – I'd have given a lot to throw in the towel on this trip and drag him paint-balling or something. By the way, there is nothing scarier than the Perfect Soldier armed with a gun full of paint pellets, except maybe him armed with real bullets. He is completely merciless and accurate to within half a millimetre so I usually end up covered in bruises. But hey, at least it's fun. Not like what I had to do now.

Wufei preceded me onto the shuttle, a laptop bag in his hand. I turned to say goodbye to Heero and was caught off balance as he grabbed my jacket collar, pulling me in close to his face. I swallowed hard, my eyes fixing on him in confusion. He didn't look upset, just considered me through those level blue eyes for a moment. Just when I thought he wasn't going to say anything, he spoke.

"Be careful, Duo." It was one of the few times he'd said my first name and it made me pause and choke back a stupid comment. I settled for nodding dumbly and he let me go.

"Good luck," he said quietly, then spun on his heel and walked away. The attendant gave me a second to gather my scattered wits before urging me onto the shuttle.

* * *

I had a lot of time to think on the shuttle ride over, but most of my attention was taken up by the distaste that passed over Wufei's face every few minutes. I was sure he was going over the details of his impending marriage, and no matter how many times he considered it he still seemed to resent it. He barely looked at me the entire time, merely stared out the window at the stars. If he had to get up he would scoot past me quickly and refuse to answer my questioning glance.

When we docked at L5 he seemed to come back to himself, his steely eyes warning everyone to refrain from asking questions. Everyone meaning me, of course. I obeyed the unspoken order and hung back as we exited the shuttle, giving him the space he wanted, but he was met quickly by an older man in a grey suit who bowed to him formally. I saw Wufei stiffen a little in surprise but he recovered well, bowing deeply back without missing a beat.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Chang Wufei."

Ew, formality. I could see that the words grated on Wufei; his shoulders tensed up and his hand clenched around the handle of the bag he carried. I guessed that he hadn't particularly enjoyed formality when he'd been living at home, either – apparently some things never changed. I wondered idly whether or not I would be expected to follow the same traditions or if, as an ignorant foreigner, I would be permitted to do my own thing as long as I stayed out of everyone's way. I hoped to God it would be the latter.

Wufei made a curt reply in Chinese and I fought to keep the disappointment off my face - he had to be speaking that on purpose since he knew I couldn't understand him. The older man answered in the same and they both started walking away from the shuttle, leaving me to trail along behind like a little lost puppy. Well, this was a great start. I decided right then that the hotel minibar and I had an appointment later that evening to make up for Wufei's rudeness towards me. I was sure it wouldn't help much but it might serve to dull the pain some.

We were escorted to the hotel by the elder and his men, as it was close by. Or I suppose I should say Wufei was escorted – the men closed around him like a goddamned honour guard and marched him away, not once looking at me. I did my best to ignore the insult, acting as though it didn't bother me. I wasn't going to give Wufei the satisfaction. When I did catch glimpses of him through the men, though, his face was set in stern lines and I could practically feel the tension radiating off him. It was evident that he wasn't particularly happy with this turn of events either.

I suddenly realised that he was reacting as though he was back in the war, and tried to figure out why. Granted, the colony was slightly militaristic underneath its veneer of traditional Chinese architecture, but there wasn't anything specifically wrong or off about it. Unless...

I had my answer as one of the men reached out to take Wufei's laptop bag. Attuned to Wufei as I was, I caught the nearly imperceptible flinch and the way he fought not to step back out of reach. It dawned on me that these men were from a clan similar to what Wufei's own had been, and that it was very likely that they all had some kind of martial arts or military training, or both. Of course he was jumpy. I looked around quickly, assessing the level of attention I was being given. I came up with nothing. Obviously they didn't consider the stupid foreigner much of a threat, but Wufei definitely was – he was the last member of his clan and nobility besides, which meant he'd had intensive training. They probably also knew that he had been a Gundam Pilot. That was enough to make anyone cautious.

So I busied myself with keeping an eye out for potential dangers, though in as stupid a manner as I could. I fancied that most of their attention was on Wufei, which made my job easier; under the guise of examining the artful buildings and the surroundings I was able to keep an eye on what was going on around us. I spotted a tail a few buildings away with ease and two passersby who were dressed casually but walked like soldiers were trailing behind us, not ten metres away. I covered the moment by exclaiming over the Chinese lion statues that graced the entryway of the motel. Clearly, we were not to be left alone for any reason.

Wufei gave me a look as he passed me into the motel, brief but instructive. I didn't nod or give any sign that I'd seen, though of course he knew I had. As far as we were concerned, we were now ass-deep in enemy territory and certain behaviours came with that. Wufei would continue to be his aloof, haughty self to whom nothing could be acceptable, while I would play the airheaded dunce to perfection. Well. This trip was turning out to be more exciting that we'd planned. Not that I regretted that – this was a lot more interesting than just attending an engagement party.

* * *

"Maxwell."

I half-turned to look at Wufei over my shoulder. I had, until a second prior, been making faces at myself in the floor-length mirror that lined one side of my hotel room – I wasn't particularly fond of formality and Wufei had insisted that I wear a suit to this party so I wouldn't 'disgrace him'. The tie was more than enough reason to be grumpy, in my opinion.

"What's up?" I faced the mirror again but kept a watch on him in the glass. He was frowning. What a surprise.

"Are you nearly ready?" he wanted to know, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. His tunic bagged around his arms but tightened across his torso, which wasn't exactly fair – his muscles were defined very nicely and drew my attention immediately. I swallowed and focused back on my own reflection rather than looking at him.

"Yeah, I think so. Where's the party at?" Wufei grimaced.

"At the Xiao residence," he replied, a clear 'of course' hanging in the air after it. I shrugged and adjusted my tie one last time, making sure everything was perfect. Then I turned on the spot and gave him some serious eye contact. This was the dangerous part, we both knew it. We didn't know if there were listening devices in this apartment so we couldn't discuss our plans out loud; it was going to make this tricky.

He gave me a curt nod, eyes careful under furrowed brows. My fingers itched to smooth the frustrated wrinkles away, but I clenched my fists and controlled myself. I wasn't allowed to do that; he was getting married. We were going to his engagement party, for God's sake.

I finally shrugged and put on my stupid foreigner mask, grinning widely to get myself in character. Wufei rolled his eyes and left the room, leaving me to dance along behind him. I started humming to myself and clicking my fingers, swinging my hips and shuffling my feet. The more attention I could draw to myself tonight, the more we might discover about the limits of our hosts' hospitality – I fully intended to push the boundaries. After all, why not have fun when you can?

* * *

"Well, this is just peachy," I whispered to Wufei under my breath as yet another family member kowtowed to him. I was sitting on his right and slightly behind him – as honoured guest, he was seated next to the Xiao patriarch. His intended bride wasn't even in the room. From the side of his face I could see, I noticed his jaw twitching in distaste with each dip of his hosts' head onto the beautifully polished floor. I was right there with him; as far as we knew, kowtowing had been abolished when Wufei's ancestors had taken to the colonies. Apparently some of the old traditions had made a comeback.

When the boy had finished, Wufei spoke to Xiao quietly in Chinese. I didn't know what he was saying, but apparently it was not to Xiao's taste: he made a sound not unlike a snort and shook his head sharply. Wufei seemed to take this well, but I could see his fists clench in his lap. From the way the bodyguards stationed behind Xiao reacted, they saw it too. I gave Wufei a swift prod in the side to get him to ease up.

I found this whole scenario quite strange, for more than the fact that it was an outdated tradition. For starters, Wufei wasn't even a member of the clan yet. And as far as I knew, he wouldn't ever be – she was taking _his_ name, not the other way around. Normally this type of respectful display was reserved for those who were either the Emperor or the head of the family, but these people were kowtowing to Wufei and not to Xiao. It made me feel distinctly uncomfortable. I mean, sure, he'd be their clan leader if all went according to plan, but I still didn't think this display was a good idea.

Three more people came to pay their respects, and Wufei finally lost it. He turned to Xiao with a grimace, which I knew was rude – displaying emotions wasn't something Chinese people did very often with their own families, let alone strangers – and I tensed up a little. This wasn't going to be good.

"Senior Xiao," he began, in English so I could follow the conversation. The room fell into a hushed silence as those present listened intently. It felt to me as though they were waiting for Wufei to slip up, and I hoped devoutly that that wouldn't happen. I let my gaze wander idly around the beautiful room, tracking across the paintings and other decorations without really seeing them. All my attention was focused on Wufei and I knew he knew that, but I didn't want the bodyguards to know.

"Yes, Chang Wufei?" It wasn't an acknowledgement so much as a warning to shut up, and I winced internally. Living with Wufei had allowed me to get a slight knowledge of Chinese culture, and I wasn't completely unaware of the distinctions in tone, having been on the wrong end of several sentences just like this one. Wufei pressed on anyway.

"I must admit that I am somewhat uncomfortable with this display of respect. I feel that it is too much for someone in my position." Ah, he was being tactful. I allowed myself the privilege of relaxing slightly – clearly he HAD learned how to be polite. I'd almost been expecting him to just demand that they stop.

"What position is that?"

"I am a guest in your house. I have no home and no clan. I have no right to this treatment," he explained, though I almost felt his irritation towards Xiao. We both knew he was being dense on purpose, waiting for Wufei to make a mistake. It felt almost like trying to get through a maze full of booby traps, except I had the feeling we'd probably do better with that than what we were attempting now. Wufei was probably thinking the same thing.

A faint smile touched Xiao's thin lips. I could almost see the cogs ticking in his head as he decided the best way to put Wufei in his place, and fought not to show my anger. He was playing with us._ Go ahead, you evil jumped-up old geezer_, I thought at him, though outwardly I was still casual and apparently bored. _We'll get you back so hard you won't know what hit you!_

"I see. So you are displeased with our hospitality?" Wufei shook his head.

"Of course not. I am flattered and honoured by these attentions. But I cannot, in truth, accept them." Now we were for it. He'd just outright refused their hospitality; now we were completely screwed. He could kick us out right now if he wanted. I watched his mouth open and –

"Excuse me, Chang Wufei?" All eyes turned towards the speaker, a tiny white-haired woman whose wrinkly face was so open and friendly that I liked her immediately. Though she was old, her eyes were lively and snapped with intensity. Xiao shut his mouth again and looked displeased.

"Yes ma'am?"

As she started to ask Wufei questions in Chinese, I studied him. I knew he was perplexed as to why she'd singled him out, and I was confused too – generally women didn't speak out in front of men, let alone interrupt them – but she seemed genuinely interested in him. And Xiao hadn't complained so I guessed she had some sort of authority over him that he was unwilling to challenge.

They chatted companionably for several minutes while the general company listened and Xiao glared impartially at everyone. I'm ashamed to admit that I fidgeted, but since I couldn't understand a word of the conversation and I was being completely ignored I twiddled my thumbs a bit.

Finally a door slid open and the conversation came to a halt. A maid bowed, then said something quickly to Xiao that I couldn't follow. I sighed. I really was going to have to teach myself Chinese one day.

Xiao nodded slowly, then looked at Wufei with a sardonic smile. "My daughter has made a request to become acquainted with you," he announced, gesturing to the door. Wufei's eyes followed mine to the girl now silhouetted in the doorway, and we both froze.

Oh God. If I'd thought I'd had competition before, it was nothing to how I felt now.

I was so screwed. This was one fight I was NEVER going to win.


	5. Chapter 5

**Would be great to get some feedback on this chapter. Things are just starting to heat up and I want to know what you think, so please let me know. **

**AC 201, June 30**

I couldn't look at her for very long, although it was still long enough to know that I was outmatched in every way. She was beautiful; petite, with long black hair and brown eyes so deep and warm you could lose yourself in them forever. He mouth was a soft pink rosebud in her pale face, her complexion flawless. She wore silver robes that shimmered around her tiny figure, drawing attention to her slim waist and other assets.

I swallowed, but it was nothing compared to Wufei's reaction. I could hear the rasp of his tongue as he licked his suddenly dry lips, and when I looked in his direction he appeared to be startled. His eyes were wide and locked onto her almost against his will and he seemed caught in place, unable to move past her unflinching gaze. When she smiled, I knew he was lost.

Rather than witness him falling for her I looked away, dropping my gaze to my lap and intently studying my calloused hands. Nail-bitten and worn, they were unattractive, but I knew that when push came to shove Wufei would choose to have these hands at his back, holding a gun to cover him. That was what we were: partners. I hoped she would make him happy.

She walked into the room slowly, making almost no noise. It spoke to me of someone who had been trained in martial arts, and a quick glance up confirmed it: her balance was very precise and she moved like a well-oiled machine. I heard Wufei clear his throat, the sound loud and echoing in the almost silent room. It nearly made me wince. She was everything he could have ever hoped for.

I knew somehow that Xiao had orchestrated this to suit himself, but I still didn't know what he hoped to gain. I snuck a quick look at his face, but it told me nothing. I exhaled slowly, trying to centre myself. I didn't want to react badly if anything untoward happened.

"Perhaps, Chang Wufei, we could retire to the garden for our banquet? My daughter wishes to know you better," Xiao said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Wufei nodded too quickly, his eyes still fixed on her. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Geez, didn't this guy know anything? Never, ever show your hand, or they fleece you. Hopefully we were playing something with low stakes, like Go Fish. I didn't want to see his poker face after this particular display.

Everybody rose when Xiao did, following him down the finely polished hallway to a small garden outside. I nearly whistled in amazement. The long, low table was covered with bowls, the contents glistening enticingly in the light of numerous candles. There were too many things to name, and as I settled myself at Wufei's right side I realised I didn't know what half these dishes were made of. This was going to be interesting.

Wufei sat down far too quickly, arranging himself swiftly while appearing to collect himself. I could see though that he was fighting with himself not to look at her, and could have sighed – he had it bad, all right. It hurt something inside me to know that he would never look at me that way, but I thought it was something I could learn to accept. What would hurt worse would be never seeing him again. I knew I couldn't deal with that.

I tried to ignore them after that, picking up my chopsticks and trying to decide what I'd like to try first. Concentrate on the food, Maxwell – at least it won't fall in love with someone other than you.

* * *

We arrived back at our hotel sometime after midnight. I couldn't tell you what time it actually was, since I had been very well plied with plum wine and food. The food coma I had been denying up until then was threatening to take me over right there in the small lounge, so I flopped face-first onto the couch cushions and exhaled gustily. Wufei had already disappeared into his room and I figured he was going to moon over Xiao's daughter some more. What was her name again? I racked my wine-sodden brain for clues. De something – De Hon? It sounded almost right. I had a sudden memory. De Hong, that was it. He'd told me just after he'd told me we were going to be partners from now on.

I groaned into the cushions, lacing my fingers into my hair and pulling just hard enough to hurt. Partners. With the man I was in love with. Who had just fallen in love with someone else. Of course. Good one Maxwell, fall for the straight guy. While you're at it, maybe you should carve out your heart and serve it to him on a silver platter, it'll probably feel about the same.

I finally forced myself to sit up and began to shrug out of my jacket. I had one sleeve off when something alerted me to the fact that I wasn't alone. Something that was cold, round and metallic pressed sharply into the back of my head. Yeah, that kind of something.

"Stay quiet or die," a hoarse whisper instructed, and I heard the safety on the gun click off. I was suddenly hyper alert, all my senses reaching around me to figure out what was going on. I tried to put my arms down comfortably at my sides and got struck on the back for my trouble.

While I tried to breathe past the pain now blossoming down my spine, my mind worked furiously. How was I going to get out of this one? This guy was jumpy as hell and clearly didn't care if he hurt me or not. I wasn't sure if killing me would get him in trouble, but he obviously wasn't too worried about keeping me in mint condition. I probably couldn't push him too far before he got annoyed and shot me somewhere non-vital.

So I didn't resist when rough hands pulled me from the couch, bundling my arms up in the jacket I was only half wearing. I was frisked quickly but thoroughly, the hair on the back of my neck rising as whoever was doing the search combed their fingers through my hair in search of hidden weapons. It chilled my blood. They were being way too cautious, and I still didn't know why.

A blindfold was tied across my eyes in short order, making me more than a little twitchy. Clearly they were planning on taking me somewhere, which didn't bode well for my continued good health. I felt a manic grin plaster itself across my face against my will – the last thing I felt like doing was smiling. But hey, I couldn't really help it. This was absurd.

Finally someone pushed me from behind, making me stumble forward a few steps. Lucky for them the sound was muffled by the carpet. Not so lucky for me. _Goddamn it, Wufei_, my mind screamed,_ I need you! Help me!_

But of course, nothing happened except I was pushed to move again.

I assumed I'd made it to the door when rough hands grabbed for me and started pulling me along. I was shoved from side to side as we bustled down the corridor, lurching and stumbling because I couldn't see. The fact that my hands were still restricted didn't help matters and suddenly I felt myself falling.

I was caught before I could hit the ground by one of my captors. I still didn't know how many there were, but at least four surrounding me. It seemed like overkill for little ol' me. The guy who had me handled me like I weighed nothing, which freaked me out a little. Okay, so I wasn't the most built guy around, but I was all muscle. Unfortunately it seemed that all these guys were both trained and, well, bigger than me.

I didn't get the chance to stand on my own feet again, since they were obviously in a rush and wouldn't put me down. I ended up slung over one guy's shoulder in a fireman carry, although my braid hung down so far and was in so much danger of getting stepped on that one of the others grabbed hold of it. Pain exploded in my scalp as he pulled on it hard to keep it out of the way and I kicked out in reflex, clipping the one that was carrying me somewhere soft. His answering bellow had me feeling sorry for him for exactly half a second before I was unceremoniously dumped back on my feet. The one holding my braid didn't let go, so of course I stumbled. Ass met floor in the most unfortunate of encounters and I couldn't help the grunt that escaped me. Immediately I felt a gun pressed against my temple.

"Shut it," a hoarse voice hissed furiously. This close I could smell his breath, and I nearly gagged – no-one needs to know what someone else had for dinner three or more nights ago. Geez! Didn't anyone brush their teeth anymore?

I snapped my jaw shut, bowing my head to make him see that I was going to follow orders. In retrospect, it was the best choice I'd made all night.

I'd just finished the movement when I sensed a flurry in the air above me, and damned if someone didn't fly right over my head! It was so quick that I thought I'd imagined it, but the sound of blows sinking into flesh hard and mercilessly made me grin. I dropped flat on the floor, desperately trying to unwrap my hands so I could finally get the damned blindfold off and wreak some havoc of my own.

I staggered to my feet after what seemed like an eternity, ripping the blindfold away from my eyes and throwing it to the floor. In front of me, Wufei moved like a snake, striking and then blurring away so fast the others had no chance of catching him. I found my heart in my throat at the beauty of it, and for a moment I couldn't breathe. This was what he was meant to do; it was painfully obvious in that moment that he wasn't suited for anything but battle. He belonged there, just like I did.

He glared at me in between strikes as someone grabbed for him, and then had to dance back to evade them. I shook my head slightly, stirring myself back to action once more. I brought my hands up to guard my face, and paced forward. Now it was time to get some of my own back-

"Halt."

An unknown female voice from behind me made me whirl on the spot. Behind me, I heard the fighting grind to a halt, although Wufei still landed an extra punch or two. I can't say in all honesty that I blame him for that.

At that moment, however, it was the last thing I could think about. Standing in front of me was Wufei's promised, resplendent in green robes lined in gold. The look on her face was haughty, cold. Everyone in the hall dropped to their knees before her – everyone except Wufei and me.

"What is going on here?" The words dropped into the silence like rocks into a still pond, filling up the hall until it seemed we had no choice but to respond.

"I think we'd both like to know that," Wufei rapped out sharply. I saw tension running through the shoulders of the men on the floor, and felt my eyebrows raise. Well, that was one question answered. These guys knew who this girl was and they were afraid of her. Curious.

I looked at Wufei and was surprised to see an expression of almost hatred on the usually cool, reserved features. I glanced at her and realised there was a mirrored expression on her face. Now that was even more confusing, especially considering the way they'd acted earlier. I felt the anger sizzle across the air between them. Seemed like they were definitely at the sparks stage of romance.

I moved back a bit, casually stepping on the hand of one of my would-be captors as I headed for the wall. His grunt of pain did wonders for my mood, although it also drew her attention to me. I waved away her anger weakly.

"Sorry ma'am, didn't mean to be a bother," I joked as I finally found the wall. My body was reminding me that not long ago I'd been rather drunk and food-happy, and was now presenting the tab. I hoped that I wouldn't throw up, but it had been rather a stressful evening.

Her glare didn't ease up any but I hadn't really expected it to. I could feel other eyes on me and glanced up to find Wufei glaring at me intensely. It seemed like he was blaming me for this nice turn of events. I matched him stare for stare, my gaze as even as could be expected with the gymnastics my stomach was doing.

"Explain yourselves!" The order was thrown out sharply, and I saw it hit the men who'd attacked me like a blow. They ducked their heads and grovelled to her, pressing themselves down as though they would sink through the floor. Fat chance. Someone was getting hurt tonight, by my estimation.

Wufei strode quickly across the hall to me and pulled me away from the wall. The world spun and I couldn't help but cling to him for dear life, swallowing rapidly to prevent myself from vomiting. He didn't seem bothered by my dependency but swung me into his grasp like a damn woman, turning me so my face pressed into his neck. I wasn't bothered to fight him over it and instead closed my eyes in the vain hope that the world would stop spinning sometime soon.

"We're leaving," Wufei informed her quietly. I looked at her in time to see her nod, her lips pressed together in a thin line of disapproval. Wufei headed back to our room, carrying me as though I weighed nothing. Damn. That was the second time today.

I felt like one of those princesses from a stupid fairytale and grimaced. Seemed there was always a prince running in to save the day and rescue the princess. The whole 'damsel-in-distress' thing, obviously.

Well, for my money? Let the princess rescue herself for once, damn it!


End file.
